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Side View’s challenge “Yuppie.”

Sidey’s challenge this weekend, “Yuppie,” naturally had me looking for a song of course. I found this one on You Tube, by Frank Delaney, and although it’s from the 1980’s when Yuppism was first recognised, it’s still pretty relevant today.

The accepted definition of a Yuppie used to be “A well-paid young middle-class professional who worked in a city job and had a luxurious lifestyle.” The term came into being in the early 1980’s, but according to Wiki, faded from American popular culture after the 1987 stock market crash and the recession which followed in the early 1990’s. These days, it is often used to describe any wealthy person who is not modest about their financial status. I think though that to qualify as a true Yuppie, besides being a very well paid “young, upwardly mobile professional”, one would need to be totally self absorbed, a slave to the expensive designer labels in clothes and cars, and a social climber, always mindful of creating the right impression amongst other Yuppies. Thankfully I was too old to be a Yuppie when they first came into existence, and when I was young enough, I didn’t have the wherewithal to qualify.

It must be quite stressful to always have to strive to keep up with your peers, who in turn, are also doing their utmost to impress you. Quite a vicious circle really. You will know, for example, that any present you buy for a Yuppie or their children, will have the label examined first, before they will be happy to accept it. The wine you serve must also have the correct sticker on the bottle, be expensive, and of the correct vintage. It’s also ‘de rigueur’ to drive the right make of car, shop at the most expensive boutiques and stores, and be seen at the trendiest restaurants, clubs and coffee shops. Imagine the designer stroller jams outside these places.

Food isn’t merely eaten, it’s researched first, and has to meet all the necessary green and organic Yuppie requirements before it’s allowed past the lips of the little ones. Conversations with other Yuppies predictably revolves around the latest childrens’ boutiques, the best schools and the trendiest vacation destinations. To keep up your Yuppie status, you’d better make sure that you keep earning those big bucks, or your membership will be cancelled forthwith. The pressure’s on.